Inner Peace to Go

You do a lot. You juggle tons of responsibilities and relationships at home and at work, and nobody gives you any awards or praise for most of it. Well, that ends now, because today we're talking about celebrating yourself and how acknowledging your wins supports inner peace. In this episode, we talk about the psychological benefits of celebrating ourselves, why we don't generally do it and how to start. What do you need to feel more peaceful? Let me know! I'm on Instagram @thesandycohen and at innerpeacetogo.com . And want to see me in your inbox on the regular? Get my (Not) Everything Sucks newsletter! Sign up here .

Whether you've been to dozens of sound baths or have no idea what a sound bath is, you're bound to learn something from guests Julie Afsahi and Jessica Cross, both sound healers and yoga teachers and the authors of the new book, "Seasons of Sound." In this conversation, Julie and Jessica explain what sound healing is and why it works and how anyone can access the benefits of sound healing at home without any equipment other than their voice. And if you want to experience a sound bath at home, you're in luck! Jessica is offering a free audio download of one of her sound baths. Just click here ( hear !) for the peaceful vibes. Also, be sure to connect with Julie at soulstrongyoga.com and Jessica at soundforstress.com . My thanks again to these brilliant sound healers! What do you need to feel more peaceful? Let me know! I'm on Instagram @thesandycohen and at innerpeacetogo.com . And want to see me in your inbox on the regular? Get my (Not) Everything Sucks newsletter! Sign up here .

Uncertainty is part of life, so when I heard a commercial for a psychic company recently whose tagline was "Discover the joy of certainty," I had to laugh. Humans prefer certainty -- it was key to our ancient ancestors' survival -- but uncertainty is the way of reality. Besides gravity on Earth, few things are reliably certain. Who could have imagined a global pandemic would shut down the world in March of 2020?! So in this episode, we talk about practical strategies for making peace with uncertainty, and dialing down the anxiety that accompanies facing the unknown. What do you need to feel more peaceful? Let me know! I'm on Instagram @thesandycohen and at innerpeacetogo.com . And want to see me in your inbox on the regular? Get my (Not) Everything Sucks newsletter! Sign up here .

Loving ourselves might not feel easy, but it's a practice we can cultivate -- and it's totally worth it! Self-love increases resilience, helps reduce stress, boosts confidence and inspires us to go after our goals. In this episode, we talk about what self-love is and why it matters, some signs you might need more self-love in your life, myths about self-love, and eight strategies for cultivating self-love that you can start today. Cheers to amazing you! What do you need to feel more peaceful? Let me know! I'm on Instagram @thesandycohen and at innerpeacetogo.com . And want to see me in your inbox on the regular? Get my (Not) Everything Sucks newsletter! Sign up here .

As the owner of a human brain, you possess one of the most complex and sophisticated pieces of machinery on the planet. And you're in charge of it! We're talking this week about your brilliant brain and how to use it to generate greater inner peace. What do you need to feel more peaceful? Let me know! I'm on Instagram @thesandycohen and at innerpeacetogo.com . And want to see me in your inbox on the regular? Get my (Not) Everything Sucks newsletter! Sign up here .

Want a better brain? Of course you do! This week, brain health expert Mary Lou Tierney is on the podcast, sharing tips for turning down the stress response and keeping our brain healthy throughout our lives. In this episode, we discuss negative self-talk, limiting beliefs and how to bring your higher thinking back online when your nervous system has been "hijacked" by the amygdala and the stress response. Mary Lou offers tons of resources on her website, so be sure to check her out at www.simplybetterbrain.com . What do you need to feel more peaceful? Let me know! I'm on Instagram @thesandycohen and at innerpeacetogo.com . And want to see me in your inbox on the regular? Get my (Not) Everything Sucks newsletter! Sign up here .

Have you ever eaten something so delicious that you spontaneously close your eyes so you can more fully immerse yourself in its scrumptiousness, so you can truly savor it? Savoring isn't just for food. Research shows that allowing ourselves to savor the delightful but ordinary moments in our lives boosts our mood, increases well-being and can reduce feelings of depression and anxiety. It only takes a few seconds and we can do it right in the midst of our busy lives -- all we have to do is slow down and pay attention. This episode is about the practice of savoring, what it is, how to do it and why it increases a sense of ease and inner peace. Let me know if you try it and what you savored! What do you need to feel more peaceful? Let me know! I'm on Instagram @thesandycohen and at innerpeacetogo.com . And want to see me in your inbox on the regular? Get my (Not) Everything Sucks newsletter! Sign up here .

Life can feel like an endless to-do list, with lots of "stuff" but not a lot of meaning, to the point where we look around and go, "Is this it?! Is this really what life's about?" One way to shift out of this view and bring more richness and pleasure to our lives is by practicing gratitude. I know it sounds corny! But reams of research studies confirm that intentionally looking for things to be grateful for makes us happier and less stressed -- not just in the moment, but over time. So in this episode, we're talking about how to find the good in our lives, how being grateful changes our brain and what the science says about the power of gratitude. What do you need to feel more peaceful? Let me know! I'm on Instagram @thesandycohen and at innerpeacetogo.com . And want to see me in your inbox on the regular? Get my (Not) Everything Sucks newsletter! Sign up here .

Learn a quick and easy technique to ground yourself, get out of your head and change your mental energy in about a minute. I hope you love this "find your feet" exercise as much as I do! What do you need to feel more peaceful? Let me know! I'm on Instagram @thesandycohen and at innerpeacetogo.com . And want to see me in your inbox on the regular? Get my (Not) Everything Sucks newsletter! Sign up here .

No matter how old you are, no matter what you've done or not done, it is not too late to go after your dreams or create a life you love. The biggest obstacle standing between you and your dreams is the mistaken belief that it's too late. Ava DuVernay, Julia Child, Stan Lee and Susan Boyle are just a few of the people who started building the life they desired in middle age. The inspiration for this episode is my own realization of not-too-lateness... I recorded it the week I'll be graduating with my master's degree in public health -- 25 years after earning my bachelor's. What do you need to feel more peaceful? Let me know! I'm on Instagram @thesandycohen and at innerpeacetogo.com . And want to see me in your inbox on the regular? Get my (Not) Everything Sucks newsletter! Sign up here .

Multitasking may be the norm, but monotasking is where it's at when it comes to making meaningful progress while maintaining inner peace. This week, I share my favorite technique for time management and mental focus -- the Pomodoro Technique -- and how breaking big tasks into bite-size chunks is a powerful antidote to overwhelm. I use this timer-based technique to make progress on writing projects, housecleaning, and school stuff. I know teachers use it to get through piles of papers that need grading. Spending a chunk of time on a single task not only allows for focus and progress, it helps you learn how much time things really take, and lets you look back at your day with a sense of accomplishment because you know you spent dedicated, focused time on the task at hand. Let me know how the Pomodoro Technique works for you and if it supports a sense of inner peace! What do you need to feel more peaceful? Let me know! I'm on Instagram @thesandycohen and at innerpeacetogo.com . And want to see me in your inbox on the regular? Get my (Not) Everything Sucks newsletter! Sign up here .

Nothing interferes with our inner peace like having too much to do and not enough time to do it. This week, we're talking about what contributes to that feeling of overwhelm and how to shift how we think about the things on our to-do list in a way that allows for more breathing room. We talk about the "four burner theory" framework for our lives and how paying attention to which burners are on high can prevent us from burning out. We also discuss boundaries as self-care -- a loving way to make room for the things that matter most to us. What do you need to feel more peaceful? Let me know! I'm on Instagram @thesandycohen and at innerpeacetogo.com . And want to see me in your inbox on the regular? Get my (Not) Everything Sucks newsletter! Sign up here .

The 1981 movie "Stripes," starring Bill Murray and John Candy as enlistees in the Army, features a scene with a tough-guy character who says his name is Francis but everyone calls him "Psycho." And if you call him Francis, he'll kill you. And if you touch his stuff, he'll kill you. And if you touch him, he'll kill you. He gives this whole speech about how he's going to kill everyone, and when he's done, the drill sergeant says, "Lighten up, Francis." And that's some advice we all could use! It's easy to take ourselves super seriously, but that generally takes us away from the inner peace we crave. This episode is about how we can lighten up, Francis, and the many benefits for doing so. What do you need to feel more peaceful? Let me know! I'm on Instagram @thesandycohen and at innerpeacetogo.com . And want to see me in your inbox on the regular? Get my (Not) Everything Sucks newsletter! Sign up here .

We often think of inner peace as a state of mind, but it's actually a physical part of the brain, according to Harvard neuroanatomist Jill Bolte Taylor. Dr. Taylor is the author of the fascinating book, "My Stroke of Insight," in which she shares her experience of having a stroke at age 37 and what she learned about her brain in the process. The human brain has two hemispheres that have different jobs but work together, and it turns out that the right hemisphere of the brain is where inner peace lives, and it's there all the time. This means inner peace is possible for any of us -- it's literally a part of the brain we already have! This episode is all about Dr. Taylor's insights and how we can experience the peaceful side of our brain more often. We read this book in our book club, and if you like books about well-being and personal growth, you should come join us! It's free, it's once a month on Zoom, and we read nonfiction, memoir and self-help and talk about how to incorporate their lessons into our lives. It's super fun! Here's the link if you want to join us! What do you need to feel more peaceful? Let me know! I'm on Instagram @thesandycohen and at innerpeacetogo.com . And want to see me in your inbox on the regular? Get my (Not) Everything Sucks newsletter! Sign up here .

What if a 20-second "micropractice" is all it takes to feel less stress and more self-compassion? That's what researchers at U.C. Berkeley found in a study being published this month. They taught students a 20-second self-compassion practice and asked them to do it daily. After a month, the students who did the practice most often experienced less stress, more self-compassion and fewer mental health troubles. Twenty seconds!! In this episode, we discuss what the researchers found and learn the practice that brought more peace of mind to student volunteers. Please let me know if you try the practice and what you think! What do you need to feel more peaceful? Let me know! I'm on Instagram @thesandycohen and at innerpeacetogo.com . And want to see me in your inbox on the regular? Get my (Not) Everything Sucks newsletter! Sign up here .

If your inner critic is working overtime to help you reach your goals -- and reminding you what a loser you are any time you fall short -- you're not alone. But there's a better way, and not only does it feel WAY better than constant berating and belittling, it actually makes you more likely to reach your goals and to feel good doing it. It's self-compassion, and it's scientifically proven to boost optimism, resilience, life satisfaction and purpose. It also boosts inner peace -- knowing you have your own back and won't kick yourself when you're down. Citing the work of psychologist Kristen Neff, this episode explains the benefits of self-compassion and how to practice it. What do you need to feel more peaceful? Let me know! I'm on Instagram @thesandycohen and at innerpeacetogo.com . And want to see me in your inbox on the regular? Get my (Not) Everything Sucks newsletter! Sign up here .

What did you have to do to earn the ability to circulate your blood, digest your food, grow your hair and heal your broken bones? Not a damn thing! This week, we're talking about how our body's capacity to heal itself is evidence of your inherent worthiness. You don't have to do anything to earn it. You don't have to prove that you deserve your broken bones to mend or a cut on your hand to heal. It just happens, because you are alive. You are already as worthy as you could ever be of goodness and healing -- the goodness of being alive in a self-healing body as the unique you that you are. What do you need to feel more peaceful? Let me know! I'm on Instagram @thesandycohen and at innerpeacetogo.com . And want to see me in your inbox on the regular? Get my (Not) Everything Sucks newsletter! Sign up here .

Most of us have been raised to believe that our value comes from what we do -- whether we're successful at work, get good grades, make a lot of money, etc. But when you were a baby, you did none of those things, and yet nobody around you doubted your worth. Even you believed you were 100% worthy. You cried for what you wanted and expected it to be provided, never considering whether you deserved it. This week, let's remember our inherent worth, the value that comes with just being alive, a living creature on this planet, a piece of the divinity that inhabits every living thing. It's hard to shift from earning our worth to just knowing our worth, but thinking about how worthy babies -- or kittens, or a little basil plant on your windowsill that you're trying to grow -- can hopefully remind you of your inherent worth. What do you need to feel more peaceful? Let me know! I'm on Instagram @thesandycohen and at innerpeacetogo.com . And want to see me in your inbox on the regular? Get my (Not) Everything Sucks newsletter! Sign up here .

When we think about who we are, we generally go to our name, maybe age or gender, and the roles we play in our life: a mom, a sister, a lawyer, etc. But there's bountiful peace to be had when we expand our notion of who we are to the consciousness that perceives our name, age, gender and life roles. When we identify more as the observer, the witness of our experiences, rather than the experiencer. The practice of connecting with awareness has been practiced for millennia in wisdom traditions and has been the subject of much research in recent decades. While neuroscientists are still searching for the origins of consciousness in the brain, psychologists have found that actively tuning into this consciousness makes us feel less stressed, more capacious and more resilient. This week, when you feel overwhelmed or stressed out, see if you can widen your mental and emotional aperture and observe yourself experiencing these feelings. You'll find that this "witness" part of yourself is a step removed from that overwhelm and stress. This awareness is always there, always available. I hope this brings some peace to your week and your life! What do you need to feel more peaceful? Let me know! I'm on Instagram @thesandycohen and at innerpeacetogo.com . And want to see me in your inbox on the regular? Get my (Not) Everything Sucks newsletter! Sign up here .

Our thoughts are a key way we make sense of the world, so it's easy to default into thinking our thoughts are true. It must be true because I thought it! Of course, our thoughts are just as fallible as any other human endeavor. Our thoughts aren't always true, and they definitely aren't always helpful. Our thoughts can stress us out and make us feel stuck. They can make us feel bad about ourselves and the circumstances of our lives. One simple way to know if your thoughts are painting a biased picture of reality is to notice if there are any cognitive distortions at play. These are common thought habits that result in us feeling bad, limited and stressed. But once you know what they are, they're easier to spot. And when you spot them, you know those thoughts are incomplete. They're flawed because they're filtered through a negative lens. This episode covers some of the most common cognitive distortions so you can learn to spot them and start thinking more accurate, helpful thoughts this week. What do you need to feel more peaceful? Let me know! I'm on Instagram @thesandycohen and at innerpeacetogo.com . And want to see me in your inbox on the regular? Get my (Not) Everything Sucks newsletter! Sign up here .